The US administration has warned Russia not to affect US nuclear technology in Ukraine

The US Department of Energy sent a letter to the Russian state company Rosatom in March. According to the document, which is dated March 17, Andrea Ferkile, director of the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nonproliferation, told the director general of Rosatom that in the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, located near the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, there are “nuclear technical data of American origin subject to export control“, in accordance with US regulations.

Components, software systems, or technologies are subject to export controls when they can be used in ways that may undermine the national security interests of the United States.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, located in the southeast of Ukraine, has been under the control of Russian military forces since last year. In the context of military confrontations, the plant’s electricity supply has been frequently interrupted, and Moscow and Kiev accuse each other of a series of security incidents.

“It is illegal under United States regulations for unauthorized persons, including but not limited to Russian citizens and entities, such as Rosatom and its subsidiaries, to knowingly access, take possession of, take control of, export, store, examine, re-export, transport, deliver, copy or handle such technology or technical data or solicit from others or authorize such actions without the authorization of the Secretary of the US Department of Energy”, says the letter sent by Washington to Moscow.

It is not clear whether the Rosatom group responded to the letter. The authenticity of the document was confirmed by the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Security Administration. Another internal document, from October 2022, shows that the United States transferred to Ukraine technology intended for the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.